Food security: Go into intensive dry season farming, FG urges farmers

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Muhammad Abubakar, has advised farmers to engage in intensive dry season farming to produce food and close the gap created by the shortage caused by flooding and the rising food inflation in Nigeria.

He spoke in Abuja Thursday while defending his ministry’s 2023 budget proposal before the House of Representatives Committee on Agricultural Colleges, Research Institutes.

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According to him, mass production of food crops during the dry season is the only way out.

He said lack of funding was affecting his ministry’s performance with attendant effects on agricultural production. 

The chairman of the committee, Munir Babba Dan’agundi, said: “The food security situation in Nigeria is compounded by climate-induced situations such as flood, drought, extreme temperatures, pests, diseases etc that affect agricultural production and productivity.

“Research, which is supposed to be in the forefront of the climate adaptations and mitigation measures, must not be allowed to suffer.”